Happy city slickers top wellness index

People in major Australian cities are lean, happy and healthy, according to a major survey that brands their country cousins as fat and anxious.

A survey of 50,000 Australians has found that Australians' health has slipped "very slightly" over the past five years.

People are drinking less alcohol and smoking less, but 736,000 more adults are obese and the number of people with anxiety has increased by 1.3 million.

According to a wellness index based on the survey, western Brisbane is the healthiest of 57 areas. The least healthy is the Murray and Murrumbidgee region of NSW.

The five healthiest areas are in major cities and four of the five least healthy are in country areas.

People in the dozens of post codes that make up the Murray and Murrumbidgee area do badly in many categories, including obesity and mental health.

Local health professional Mark Taylor is not surprised.

The Wagga Wagga-based trainer for the Australian Diabetes Council has concerns about the total lifestyle package, including diet, physical activity and access to services.

"Rural isolation is a major factor. Even though Wagga Wagga is a large inland city, a lot of our towns lack services."

But Wagga Wagga Mayor Rod Kendall is not so sure: "I dispute the findings given that Wagga Wagga is known as the city of good sports and in 2011 we were named the happiest city in Australia."

The survey assesses wellness based on how people answer questions about their illnesses, food purchasing, diet, psychological wellbeing and other lifestyle factors, such as alcohol, smoking, body weight and exercise.

The index is based on about 1000 face-to-face interviews a week since 2007.

Respondents are questioned in their homes and left with a detailed self-completion form covering dozens of health and lifestyle categories.

"Compared with 2007, the overall health of Australians is down just slightly," says Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research, which collaborated with Alere healthcare company to establish the Alere Wellness Index.

The index shows a direct link between employment status and mental wellbeing.

Drinking is down among younger people, but so is their fruit and vegetable consumption.

People older than 50 are drinking more. Some areas, like northern Sydney, have good overall scores but do poorly for alcohol.

The number of people who experienced anxiety more than doubled to 2.5 million in five years.

In general, medical treatments are improving, but prevention is lagging. "Physically the country is in better shape, but emotionally not so hot," says Ms Levine.

Dr John Lang of health company Alere says some rural areas have done badly because of "psycho-emotional" issues related to the economy and drought and flooding. "People could also have poor access to services in remote areas."

Western Brisbane GP Anita Green agrees. She says people in more affluent urban areas have good access to services, including clinical psychologists.

"I think people in western Brisbane are more likely to be aware of their health and be involved in their health than people who have concerns about jobs and money," Dr Green said.

"When other things are looked after, then you can concentrate more on your health."